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  Media channel managementUSPTO Application #: 20080109853Title: Media channel management Abstract: A method of managing a unicast-based media session is disclosed. A user terminal (100) having access to channel identifiers of media channels (400, 410) available at a media server compiles a SIP-based channel request comprising a channel identifier of one of the available media channels (400, 410) and a port identifier of at least one media input port of the terminal (100). This message is sent to a network node (200, 300) for initiating delivery of media data of selected media channel to the announced media input port (115). The SIP-based data signaling also allows switching between unicast-based media channels and switching between unicast-bast and multicast/broadcast-based media channels during the ongoing media session. (end of abstract) Agent: Nixon & Vanderhye, Pc - Arlington, VA, US Inventors: Torbjorn Einarsson, Uwe Horn, Thorsten Lohmar, Ignacio Mas Ivars USPTO Applicaton #: 20080109853 - Class: 725 62 (USPTO) The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080109853. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
[0001]This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 60/857,121, filed 7 Nov. 2006, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in this application. TECHNICAL FIELD [0002]The present invention generally relates to management of media sessions in communications systems, and in particular to reducing the user-perceived time of switching media channels in such media sessions. BACKGROUND [0003]It has become a trend to offer and provide a vast range of new services in existing mobile networks and mobile communications systems. There is currently a very big interest in using mobile networks for multimedia or TV content. This is often referred to as Mobile-TV in the art. The goal for Mobile-TV applications is to offer a TV-like experience where the user can choose and easily zap between different multimedia or TV channels. [0004]Ordinary TV channels are broadcasted to many users and typically the user can choose which channel to receive and view. Mobile-TV is similarly about delivering a set of (live) media or multimedia streams to several end-users. Each multimedia stream corresponds to a TV-channel, and each user shall be able to choose which channel to view. At the moment, broadcast/multicast delivery methods for Mobile-TV are under development. Examples of such standardisation efforts are 3GPP Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Services (MBMS) and European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) Digital Video broadcasting-Handheld (DVB-H). These will be similar to traditional TV, in their broadcast distribution fashion. [0005]In the meantime, until Mobile-TV based on multicast/broadcast is available, there is a need for solution that can be implemented over existing mobile transport channels. It will also later be of big interest for cells with few users and for networks with enough capacity, where unicast transport is the preferred distribution means. [0006]A mobile TV-like service using streaming over Internet Protocol (IP) based networks can be implemented into existing mobile networks. An example is the Packet-Switched (PS) Streaming Service (PSS) developed in 3GPP. In order to start such a multimedia or TV session, a user typically surfs to a web page or portal and clicks on or selects a link to look at a live-streaming channel. [0007]There also exist several proprietary streaming solutions that could be used for Mobile-TV, e.g. RealNetworks, Apple's Quicktime and Microsoft's media player. These also typically have a portal or web page where a link is clicked to start receiving a certain channel. [0008]One of the goals of Mobile-TV services is to make it possible to zap between channels, as one can do for ordinary broadcasted TV channels. If all channels are broadcasted, the receiver can locally choose between channels by choosing the appropriate transport channel and using an appropriate demultiplexer. This is the case for standard cable, satellite or terrestrial television as well as the upcoming mobile standards MBMS and DVB-H. [0009]However, for unicast sessions, the client must instead influence a "server" or multimedia provider to send the desired channel. [0010]The traditional way of doing IP-based mobile streaming is to choose a specified content in a browser. This starts the download of a Session Description Protocol (SDP) or a Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) file, which in turns initiates a Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) streaming session in a media player of a user terminal. The approximate time it takes until a user sees the content on the screen of the user terminal is typically around or slightly over ten seconds of which maybe five seconds is application setup and the rest is signalling (around two seconds) and buffering (around three to four seconds). If the user wants to switch to another "multimedia or TV channel", he must stop the current data stream and go back to the browser where he chooses another channel by clicking a link. Then, a new RTSP session is started, the media player initiates and starts to buffer, and there is a new delay of about ten seconds. [0011]In going beyond browser links for choosing a unicast channel, the simplest approach is to make an application which sets up a new streaming session to new URI (Universal Resource Identifier) every time one switches channel. This is quite general, but is quite slow in that a completely new RTSP signaling process must take place as well as a buffering of content. [0012]In order to remedy this slow process, a much faster solution have been developed [1], where each user has a continuous streaming session and can initiate a channel switch by separate signaling over HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) or another protocol. SUMMARY [0013]A limitation of the procedure suggested in document [1] is that all channels must be encoded in a similar manner in order to make it possible to make one continuous RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol) session for each media stream. [0014]The present invention overcomes these and other drawbacks of the prior art arrangements. [0015]It is a general object of the present invention to provide an efficient media session management. [0016]It is a particular object of the invention to provide media session management that allows for short channel switching times. [0017]These and other objects are met by the invention as defined by the accompanying patent claims. [0018]Briefly, the present invention involves management of a unicast-based media session involving a user terminal and a media server having access to multiple unicast-based media channels. The terminal has access to a channel description comprising identifiers and information of the media channels available at the media server. Once a user would like to watch one of the channels, the user terminal uses the information in the channel description for generating a SIP-based channel request comprising the channel identifier of the selected media channel as provided from the channel description. This SIP-based channel request also comprises a port identifier of at least one media input port of the user terminal. The message is transmitted to a network node, such as the media server or a control server communicating with the media server, for initiating delivery media data of the selected media channel to the announced media input port(s). [0019]The media server will process the received SIP-based channel request or a converted channel request, such as RTSP-based channel request, generated by the control server based on the SIP-based channel request. In this request processing, the server retrieves the channel identifier for providing media content of the correct media channel and sends the content to the port identified in the request. [0020]This SIP-based media session set-up procedure also involves the assignment and notification of a session identifier. If the user subsequently would like to switch to another unicast-based media channel at the media server, the terminal compiles a SIP-based termination message comprising the session identifier. In addition, a second SIP-based channel request is generated comprising the channel identifier of the newly selected channel and the session identifier. The channel request may also comprise one or more port identifiers. These two messages are sent to the network node, causing the media server to interrupt transmission of media content of the previous channel and start providing media content of the new channel. This channel switch will take place during the ongoing media session, without any requirement of tearing down the old session and setting up a new session. The present invention also allows for a switch between unicast delivery to multicast/broadcast delivery or vice versa during the ongoing media session, simply by putting the unicast session on hold and then re-activating it once the user would return to watch the previous unicast-based media channel or a new unicast-based media channel. SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Continue reading... Full patent description for Media channel management Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Media channel management patent application. Patent Applications in related categories: 20080163309 - Mbms enhancement - Multicast/broadcast messaging service (MBMS) arrangement, in which a broadcast/multicast service centre delivers multimedia messages to a plurality of users via a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) and via a serving GPRS support node (SGSN) and a radio access network (RAN), in association with a given temporary mobile group identity (TMGI) ... 20080163310 - Methods, systems, and products for selective broadcast enhancement - Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for selective broadcast enhancement. A registration request includes a randomly selected a generic access number (GAN) and a hardware serial number (HSN). A registration response comprising the randomly-selected generic access number (GAN), a broadcast access number (BAN), and an identification of a radio channel. ... ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Media channel management or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Method and system for providing interactive video Next Patent Application: Super share Industry Class: Interactive video distribution systems ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Media channel management patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.88456 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Medical: Surgery , Surgery(2) , Surgery(3) , Drug , Drug(2) , Prosthesis , Dentistry |
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